The Sister
by JessieLightyear
Summary: No one knew about my mother's secret: the secret of how my father was Uther Pendragon. Now I'm in Camelot for the first time, looking for answers and acceptance. But how will my father react when he finds his daughter is a sorceress? On hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**JessieLightyear - Hi everybody! **

**Merlin - well hi... person, um, where am I? What am I doing here? **

**JessieLightyear - Just read the card **

***card magically appears in Merlin's hand* **

**Merlin - oh, um, 'JessieLightyear does not own the TV Show Merlin or any of the characters.' Wait what's a TV show **

**JessieLightyear *rolls eyes* - Big shout out to NationalWonder for putting up with my various butchering of the language.**

_Well I'm here now, Camelot_.

The name should have sent me running – far away. I pulled my blue hood closer to my face. I walked through the market and looked at the people – my father's people. They were all ages and sizes. My eyes darted all around – a happy child running after his friends, a pair of men arguing over the price of something, a group of women swapping the latest stories. Everywhere I looked a new person was, and no two of them were the same.

Looking up, I saw the castle. It was gorgeous. Light stones shone in the afternoon sun as the rays reflected off the towers. A large wall surrounded the palace, attempting to bring fear, but only made me more in awe. I could hear men practicing with swords in the courtyard even from here. This was where my father lived? He certainly earned it, but it was still so massive. You could fit a dozen villages in it. I still couldn't believe who my father was. It had taken long enough to find him. I wasn't sure if I loved him for being my father, or hated him for killing my mother.

I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. I had to focus. I wasn't here to kill anyone; I was here to find out about what he did to her, and what happened after my mother left. I kept walking and bumped into someone, the action causing me to fall over. He was a little taller than me and had dark hair. His blue eyes looked worried. I pulled my hood up.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Don't worry about it; it was entirely my fault," I told him as I stood up and brushed my dress off.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"I'm fine." This boy needed to leave. I didn't want to attract attention. I turned to walk away. He grabbed my cloak and I stumbled forward. I whirled around and gave him an evil eye. "I'm so sorry. I um-"

"What?" I snapped, trying to get away.

"It's just that I've never seen you before. Are you new in town?" I sighed.

"Actually, I am. I'm looking for a job," I said. I tried to leave again. He called after me. "Wait! Maybe I can help." I kept walking. He ran after me.

"Trust me, you've helped enough," I said over my shoulder.

"Merlin!" A new voice called. "Come back here, I need your help with these baskets.

"One second, Gaius," the boy responded.

"You should go help your friend," I said, but he started talking again. This boy couldn't take a hint.

"Look, to make a really long story short, I used to be Gaius's assistant, but then I started a job at the castle and now I don't have time to help him. Maybe you could help him," he suggested. I stopped and slowly turned to him.

"What does Gaius do?" I asked curiously.

"He's the court physician." _The court physician!_ He would see the king many times, and maybe I would too. It would be the perfect chance to talk to the king about my mother! Wait; if the king found out about me, he might kill them for 'harboring a fugitive.' That stupid law was going to cause a lot of problems. I turned to say something, but was interrupted.

"Merlin, I'll not have you lollygagging all day. Now come along," an older man said. He had gray hair down to his shoulders and kind green eyes. He had some wrinkles, but they seemed more like laugh lines then signs of old age.

"Wait, Gaius, I'd like to introduce you to um, to uh-" I curtsied.

"I'm Ashlynn," I said to older man, who I assumed was Gaius.

"Good day to you Ashlynn. I'm Gaius. I'm sorry for any trouble Merlin has caused you."

I smiled at Gaius. The boy spoke up.

"Ashlynn just arrived in Camelot and I was thinking maybe she could be your new assistant." Gaius looked me up and down, as though my appearance would show anything about me.

"Do you know anything about medicine?" He asked.

"Just a bit," I answered. I knew a lot of healing spells, but I didn't know how to take the long way very well. "But I like to learn," I spluttered out hopefully.

"Maybe you could be some help," Gaius said. "Well, do you have a place to stay for the night?" He asked. I shook my head.

"You could stay with us," Merlin offered.

"Merlin," Gaius rebuked.

"We can't just leave her here."

"Well I am just fine with it. The rules of society would not approve of a strange woman staying with two men, one old enough to be her father and the other being you."

"Gaius..." Merlin said in a bit of a whiney tone. Something told me he would make me go insane.

"I'm sure I can find other arrangements," I said.

"What about Gwen? I'm sure Gwen would let her stay," Merlin suggested.

"Have you asked Gwen? Honestly Merlin, where is your head?" Gaius asked. I smiled: so I wasn't the only one who thought Merlin could be annoying.

"I'll ask her. I'm sure she'll be alright with it."

"The last time you invited a house guest to Gwen's house things did not go very well."

"Just give me a chance to ask her., Merlin pleaded. Gaius sighed.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, but alright. I'll have Lucie help me with the baskets."

"Thanks Gaius. Come on Ashlynn, you can meet Gwen," Merlin said, taking my hand and leading me into the crowd. I took my hand out of his.

"I can follow you just fine," I said indignantly. He gave me a half-smile and kept walking. I followed behind him.

We got to a home in the southern part of town where a girl about my age was working in the yard. It wasn't very big (maybe two rooms' size), but it gave off a feeling of home. Smoke was curling out of the chimney and floating away.

"Gwen, I'd like you to meet someone," Merlin said as he brought me closer to the house. The girl stood up and looked at us. She was very pretty. Her eyes were a dark brown that glowed against her light brown skin. Dark brown curls framed her face. She was a little shorter than me, but not by much. "Gwen, this is Ashlynn. She just came to Camelot."

"Hello," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," I replied.

"She might become Gaius's new assistant, but she needs somewhere to stay for tonight. Do you think she could stay with you?"

Gwen bit her lip. "Merlin, you've got to stop doing this," she said.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but she needs help." I bit my tongue to stop myself from blurting out that I wasn't some princess he had to help. The helpless act would help convince my father I wasn't a threat. With any luck, he'd never find out about my gifts. Gwen looked me over.

"Alright, but _one_ night only," she said firmly. Merlin gave her a quick hug.

"You're the best Gwen." He turned to me. "I'll stop by in the morning and take you to Gaius's workshop.

I nodded. "Thank you," I said and curtsied. Merlin smiled and left. I sighed, and Gwen turned back to her work. "I'm sorry if I cause any inconvenience," I said to her. She laughed quietly.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"At least let me help you," I offered.

"You are my guest."

"You had no warning of my arrival, though. I insist," I said.

"Well alright," she said, standing up. "I'm going to get dinner started. Would you mind finishing the weeding?" She asked.

"Of course," I said, kneeling down in the garden. Gwen walked into her house. I started pulling out the weeds and smiled. Maybe this could work and I wouldn't die after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**JessieLightyear - Alright guys, here's chapter two, and our special guest is ARTHUR**

**Arthur – Hello everyone**

**JessieLightyear - just ignore read the card, then you get your teddy bear back**

**Arthur - The orange one with his blue outfit**

**JessieLightyear - Yes, that one**

**Arthur - You'd better not have done anything to Mr. Fluffy**

**JessieLightyear - Just read the card!!!**

**Arthur - *picks up card* 'JessieLightyear does not own the TV show Merlin or its characters' Can I have Mr. Fluffy back?**

**JessieLightyear - read the back**

**Arthur - *flips card over* 'JessieLightyear also owes NationalWonder a debt of gratitude for betaing and correcting her grammar.**

**JessieLightyear - here's Mr. Fluffy back**

***Arthur leaves and NationalWonder walks in***

**NationalWonder - is this author's note long, or is it just me?**

**JessieLightyear - it's just you**

Waking up in a strange house never gets any easier. I'd been traveling my whole life, dependent on some stranger's kindness or a random paycheck so I could stay at an inn. There's no worse feeling than waking up and looking the ceiling, knowing that it isn't the place you grew up in or the place where you belong.

I sat up and stretched. The sun hadn't come up, yet I was used to it. I always awoke before the sun so no one would see me. I stood up and drew my cloak around me. Gwen was still asleep on her cot. I knew I couldn't stay here with what I had to do. Slowly, I walked out of her house. I'd be back before anyone could notice I was missing. I ran out of town and found a clearing. There was no one around. My head was pounding. I had to hurry.

"Enots esir." I whispered and pointed at a stone. It was lifted about a half foot and then I threw it against a tree. Looking at the tree I said, "Eert worg." A few new branches came from the saplings. I sighed. My magic was different from most sorceresses. It would build up in my body until I had to release it. If it wasn't released it would kill me, or worse – someone close to me. I shook my head

_Forget about it – you didn't know and there was nothing you could have done at the time. It's your job to make sure nothing like that happens again._

I stared at the ground, "Retaw htrof emoc." Water sprung forth and bubbled. I smiled at the water. A twig snapped in the forest; someone was out there. Silently, I crept along the trees. If anyone saw me, I'd meet my father too early. I didn't hear anyone else, but that didn't mean they weren't there. I walked slowly along the forest trying not to make noise. "Skcits esir_."_ The twigs and sticks in front of me rose up. I looked at them and mentally slapped myself. The reason I was hiding was because of my magic. So I'm using magic to move sticks so I don't break them and attract attention. Wait that was it! "Flesym edih."I knew I was invisible, but now I had to be silent. I saw a girl walking through the forest. She was definitely a noble woman. Her hair was dark brown and curled. Her dress was a dark purple and a green cloak graced her shoulders. She pulled the hood up and walked toward Camelot. I watched her leave and sighed.

_ That was too close. I should get back to Gwen's house_. Where was it though? Did I seriously get lost? I looked at the twigs.

"Esuoh snewg ot yaw eht me wohs, skcits." They flew into a line leading due east. Now I knew where to go. "Noitisop ruoy ot nruter." They went back to their original position. I ran off and reached Gwen's hat just as the first rays came breaking out of the sky. I walked back into the house and saw Gwen was still asleep. The magic I'd used this morning was enough to get me through the next couple of hours, but I'd need to go out again and use it more if I wanted to keep it controlled. Looking out the window, I saw a very different scene from yesterday. As the sun began to rise, I could see the open market. The scene was very peaceful. I leaned my head against the wall. Gwen began to move and I looked at her. She opened her eyes and sat up in her bed.

"Well you're up early," she said, looking over at me. I smiled.

"Bad habit."

"Have you had something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." She laughed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm too nervous," I said, walking over to the table. I sat down across from her.

"You have nothing to be nervous about. Gaius is like a grandfather to me, and Merlin is… Merlin."

"Tell me about him. He's so different from other people I've met," I asked.  
"He's sweet, but very awkward around people. He's always trying to help people out."

"He seems nice, but very – I don't know. He just seems different from everyone else I've met." I said, rearranging the flowers.

"Different in what way?" She asked.

"Just different, no specific way." I said. Gwen gave me a knowing smile, "I mean, he's a bit clueless and can't take a hint. He managed to get on my nerves in a five-minute conversation." Gwen chuckled. We both heard a knock at the door.

"It's open," She called, taking her plate into the small kitchen. Merlin walked into the room.

"Hello – I hope I'm not interrupting breakfast," he said.

"What are you doing here so early, Merlin?"

"Arthur wants me at the castle bright and early for training," Merlin informed her with a distasteful look on his face.

"Well you can't miss that. Ashlynn's all finished so you two go ahead."

"Thank you again for letting me stay," I said.

"The pleasure was mine," she told me. Merlin was ready to go so I grabbed my cloak and threw it across my shoulders. We walked in silence for a little until Merlin started talking,

"So, where are you from?" He asked. I bit my lip. Not a good question, Merlin.

"I don't know exactly. My mother and I were always traveling."

"What about your father?" How am I supposed to answer this one?

"He doesn't really approve of me," I said slowly.

"Oh, well-"

"Merlin, can we not talk about this?" I said, a little too loudly. He looked a little taken aback, but stopped talking. _Finally!_ I looked over at him, and he seemed hurt. Great, now I feel guilty! What was this boy doing to me? "I'm sorry, Merlin. My father's a sensitive subject. I only just found out who he is and my mother didn't like to talk about him."

"I understand," he said, but I knew he was still a little upset.

"Tell me about you."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Favorite color, favorite day, favorite animal," I rambled.

"Um, blue, my birthday, and um, I don't know," he answered.

"Oh, you have to have a favorite animal! Come on – is it a bird or a dog or a cat or –"

"Something in the woods, like a fox or a hawk," he told me.

"Do you like the woods?"

"Of course! Camelot is great, but sometimes I just need some time to myself."

"Me too; sometimes I feel like everyone's talking to me and I can't tell where to go, so I go to the woods. Do you ever feel that way?" I asked.

"More than you could imagine," he said. Oh, but I could imagine. Whenever we stopped at a town, I'd see people who were in pain and I wanted to help them. One woman even found out about my magic and begged me to help her dying son. I wanted to so much, but Mother always said we couldn't attract attention to ourselves with Uther's men all around. She said we needed to stay in Camelot, but I couldn't believe her reason.

_Don't think about it, forget it. She was wrong. Look what happened to her because of those beliefs._

I hadn't even realized how far we'd walked until Merlin stopped in front of a house. It was much bigger than Gwen's house. There were to level to it and I could see four windows in the front. Merlin walked in.

"Gaius, Ashlynn's here." Gaius was standing over a glass filled with some sort of concoction. The place was a mess. Books and notes were thrown all around. Ingredients lay all over the table.

"Ah, come in, Ashlynn come in. Merlin you'd best be getting off. Don't want to keep Arthur waiting."

"Alright, I won't be back for a while," Merlin said.

"Get going Merlin," Gaius said. Merlin left and Gaius looked up from the dark blue drink.

"Well, care for a lesson in anatomy?" Gaius asked me.

"Sounds good," I said sitting down by Gaius as he picked up a book.

**Arthur - Where's Mr. Fluffy? **

**JessieLightyear - read the card **

**Arthur - How many cards do you have? **

**JessieLightyear - read the card **

**Arthur - 'Please review JessieLightyear's story.'**

**JessieLightyear - Good, here is Mr. Fluffy **

**Arthur - THANK YOU *runs off with Mr. Fluffy*  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this week's special guest is MORGANA!! **

**Merlin – how did you get Morgana here? **

**JessieLightyear – I have very special magic **

**Merlin – what kind of magic? **

**JessieLightyear – The magic to make people do what I want, the magic of writing **

**Merlin – This is dangerous magic **

**JessieLightyear – Morgana, read the card **

**Morgana – But I don't want to **

**JessieLightyear – one moment (rewrites Morgana's character) **

**Morgana – JessieLightyear does not own the TV Show Merlin or its characters**

**JessieLightyear – Guess what guys, I'm on YouTube now! Check out my profile for the link**

**Morgana – are we done here? I need to get to get Uther his food **

**JessieLightyear – one moment (Rewrites Morgana back to her original character) **

**Morgana – If you'll excuse me, I have a king to kill **

**LouisaLovegood– You forgot me **

**JessieLightyear – Oh yeah, Merlin care to read this (hands Merlin a card)**

**Merlin – alright, I guess "LouisaLovegood is the genius behind the name Palédria and NationalWonder is the beastly beta of this story. **

**JessieLightyear – Thank you Merlin, here's an Oreo. **

**Merlin – what's an Oreo **

**JessieLightyear – Ugh, just eat it Merlin. Well this Author's Note is done, check out my profile for the YouTube link **

Merlin stopped by the house at noon for lunch. I was pouring over various books, trying to wrap my mind around the bones, the brain, blood, and every other part of the body. I didn't even hear him walk up behind me.

"Ashlynn," he said. I jumped up, startled.

"Merlin, don't sneak up on me like that!" I complained.

"Sneak up? The boy's as quiet as a thunderstorm," Gaius said. He was organizing some powders on a shelf when I'd been reviewing. Merlin ignored him and held out a plate.

"You want something to eat?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, one second," I said, looking down at the page, trying to remember the bones in the arm, but I kept mixing them up with the bones in the leg. Sighing, I pushed the leather book aside and picked up the bread.

"How do you remember all of this, Gaius?" I asked.

"It'll take time, but you will know all the bones soon enough," he said leaving his powders and joining us for lunch.

"Maybe."

"Hopefully you'll do better than me. I find the whole thing boring," Merlin said.

"It's interesting, but difficult. I never knew humans had so many different body parts. There are bones and muscles and tissues. The brain is so interesting; I wish there was more information about it," I said.

Gaius smiled. "The brain is a very important part of the body and we simply don't have anything to observe the brain when it is active."

"I was in a village once where a man said he had mapped the brain using magic. Is that possible?" I asked.

"Theoretically, yes, but there is no magic in Camelot."

"But this could help people."

"Uther has very strict rules against magic. Anyone using magic is beheaded," Gaius explained.

"That's kind of stupid," I said.

"That's the law, and you'd best not say anything with Uther's men near you," Merlin warned me, but I couldn't stop myself.

"But magic – it offers so many things – cures for poisons and crops and-"

"That's enough," Gaius said abruptly. "Should the king's men hear you they will take you to the dungeons." I nodded and stared down at my plate.

"Arthur said I was to clean his armor, wash his clothes, and make up his bed. I won't be at the palace for most of the afternoon," Merlin told us.

"That's fine; just take your work upstairs today. I'd like to continue my lessons with Ashlynn."

"Alright," Merlin said.

"Are we continuing with anatomy this afternoon?" I asked.

"Yes," Gaius said. I bit my lip. I knew the pounding in my head well. My magic was taking control. I set my hand against my forehead and quietly let out a moan.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked me. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as quiet as I thought. I let out a few fake coughs.

"Yes, but I think I need some fresh air. Would you mind?" I asked Gaius.

"Go ahead," Gaius said. I stood up and trying to not run out the door, but I knew the magic was taking over. As soon as I left the house though, I ran through the town as fast as I could until I'd reached the woods. I was shaking now and I could hear the trees' branches shaking with me.

"llaf spot eert eht morf emoc llat eert eht morf sechnarb hgih." Branches from all the trees fell from the closest trees. "Pots ereht dehcear ev'uoy enco pot eht ta pu ecalp ruoy ot nruter." They went back to their places in the forest. I sighed and took a deep breath. It was working. "Seveels ym pu og t'nod esaelp, sevael eht yrrac dinw." The leaves danced against my legs and I smiled. For just a moment, I thought back to when I was a little girl with my mother. She taught me everything I knew: every spell, every word, every trick, everything. I sighed. This was more magic; I would be fine until night fall. Tonight, I would have to go out and use lots of magic.

"What just happened?" I turned toward the voice of Merlin. He was standing very stiffly along the edge of the circle of trees that had been affected by my magic.

"I-um-I."

He walked toward me and when he was close, he whispered. "Did you just use magic?" What could I say? It wasn't a small spell; I couldn't blame it on the win.

"I had to," I said, feeling small. I knew what would happen now. I was going to die at my father's hand and my destiny would fail.

_Ignore destiny – you must run now_. So I ran. I ran as fast as I thought was possible, but I'd never been good at running. Merlin chased after me.

"Just let me talk to you," he called out, but I knew what he'd say – the same thing everyone that'd found out about my powers. I would have to be killed; they said they wanted to protect their home. No one took the time to hear my story. I ran until I tripped on a branch. I somersaulted and had hurt my ankle. I stumbled and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Niar fo spord ekil emoc ycrem tel sniap ym laeh dna senob ym dnem," I chanted as I held my shaky hand over my ankle. It was all right, but the spell didn't make walking on it any easier. All the pain from what I would have felt by waiting for the injury to heal was all being pulsed through my body at once. I couldn't stop now. I stood up and tried to run, but the pain was too much. I fell again. Merlin had caught up with me. He knelt down and looked at my ankle.

"You shouldn't have run," he told me as he walked closer. I knew there was no reason to run anymore. I fell to the ground.

"I don't want to die," I said as I started to cry. "I can't die."

"What makes you think you'll die?" Merlin asked me as he leaned down to look at my ankle.

"I used magic; you saw me. You'll have to turn me in and I'll die."

"I'm not going to turn you in."

"I've heard that before," I said trying to stand up. Merlin took my hand and made me sit back down. He looked at me in a way I'd never seen before, and then down at the ground. I could tell he was holding something back, but I didn't know what it was.

"What did you mean when you said you had to use magic?" he asked, changing the subject. I looked at him.

"My magic isn't like that of most sorceresses. It builds up in me. If it gets too high, it takes on a life of its own. If I hadn't used my magic on the branches, there could have been an earthquake or a flood or a fire."

"Floods and earthquakes aren't common in Camelot," Merlin commented. I laughed.

"But this is magic Merlin. It defies logic," I told him. He nodded again and gave me the same look on his face as earlier. We were silent for a few moments.

"Well, I won't tell if you won't," he said. I was shocked, but he offered his hand to me. I took it and stood up. My ankle was still weak, so I put my arm over his shoulder. We somewhat walked back to the house. Merlin led me inside.

"There you two are," Gaius said. I took my arm off Merlin and hobbled over to a chair. "What happened to you?" Gaius asked.

"She tripped over a broken shop cart and hurt her ankle," Merlin told Gaius.

I nodded and then said, "Merlin helped me back here before he had to go to the castle." I turned to Merlin. "You'd best be off. Arthur would not accept your reason for being late, and I don't want to be the cause of his anger," I said, smiling. Merlin smiled and left. Gaius took a look at my ankle. He shook his head.

"Very careless think to do," Gaius commented.

"I was distracted," I said.

"Well, this can be a good time for a lesson," Gaius said as he went in search of a bandage. "Can you tell me the bones that your ankle connects?" he asked. I closed my eyes.

"There are three bones: the tibia, fibula, and I can't remember the third."

"It's the talus," Gaius said as he walked over to me. He wrapped up my ankle, explaining what he was doing along the way. "You should be fine, but try to stay off the ankle." I smiled.

"Thank you," I said, pulling the leather book back toward me. "Can we go over the upper body parts again?" I asked. Gaius nodded and we started reviewing.

Merlin came by about an hour later. His arms were full with armor. I jumped up and tried to help him carry some of it.

"Sit back down," he said. "You mustn't strain your ankle." I laughed.

"It's fine as long as I keep the bandage on and don't work too hard." I told him.

"Then you are prohibited from lifting things," Merlin said as he climbed upstairs to his room. "Oh no," he mumbled halfway up.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think I left the prince's mending in his room. I'll have to go back and get it," he groaned, throwing the armor in his room.

"Let me come with you!" I said excitedly. As interesting as the science was, I needed to get out of the house for a little while.

"No – you should stay here and rest," he said. I crossed my arms across my chest.

"As much as I love science, I need to get out of this house for a while," I said, walking across the room toward him. I looked up at his face. "Please," I begged, trying to put on a pitiful face. I could almost see his defenses fall.

"I um – well," Merlin stuttered, looking at the ground. I smiled and Gaius spoke up.

"It would be a good idea Merlin. She needs to work that ankle to get it strong again, and as my assistant she'll need to know the layout of the castle."

"So, you want me to be your assistant?" I asked Gaius. He nodded and I ran over to hug him. "Thank you Gaius. I won't let you down." He patted my back.

"You'll be fine, and now that you are my assistant, we can let you stay with us."

"Thank you so much," I said.

"Well get going," Gaius said. I nodded.

"Just follow me," Merlin said. I smiled and threw my cloak around my shoulders. We walked from the house. The castle was very close to their home. It was marvelous on the inside. Polished white stones made up the hallways – large openings where the afternoon sun came and warmed the castle. My head darted in a million directions trying to take it all in.

"It's beautiful," I merely said. Merlin smiled.

"Come on. The prince's chambers are upstairs." I nodded and followed him. We turned another corner. This hallway had art all along the walls. There was a painting of a battlefield. Some men were shooting lightning and fire from their hands. Others were curled under shields. The wizards had looks of hate and pure anger. The knights looked as if they were watching over something.

"The Battle of Palédria," I whispered, lifting my hand up and tracing the engraving at the bottom. My mother had told me about it; many wizards died in that battle. It was the turning point in the war against the wizards.

"Come on, Ashlynn," Merlin called. I turned from the painting.

"Coming!" I called back, pulling up my skirt and running after him. I turned the corner and ran into someone.

"Forgive me, I-um–." I looked up into my own eyes. They were the same blue, the same shape, the same everything – it was scary. I continued looking and saw blond hair and light skin. His clothes were that of only a nobleman.

"And who are you?" he bellowed.

"I am – um."

"Ashlynn," Merlin said and turned to the man. "This is Ashlynn. She's Gaius's new assistant."

"I see."

"Ashlynn, this is Arthur, the crowned prince of Camelot." I could feel my eyes grow in shock. I curtsied.

"My lord, forgive my arrogance and clumsiness." I rose up and looked at Arthur.

"Well, get on with whatever it is you're doing." Arthur said and walked in the other direction. Merlin smiled at me.

"You did better at your first meeting with Arthur than I did," he said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I ended up in the stocks, covered in vegetables," he said. I laughed. Merlin glared at me.

"I'm sorry, but that's funny." I said, trying to conceal my giggles. "How did you end up as his manservant after that?"

"I did a really stupid thing and saved his life."

"Wow, you are an idiot," I told him.

"Thanks for that," he said sarcastically. "Now come on. We've got to get the mending and get back to the chambers."

"Alright."

"Now try to keep up," he said, smiling. One of my eyebrows shot up. I smirked.

"Of course," I said. With my head held high and my hands linked behind my back, I walked in front of Merlin toward the stairs.

"Don't you think you should wait for your guide before roaming about the castle, princess?" Merlin asked, grabbing my hand. My eyes widened. He couldn't know my secret yet. I knew he knew I had magic, but he couldn't know who my father was. I grabbed his wrist.

"Why did you call me that?" I demanded with wide eyes, knowing my worry was showing through.

"Call you what?" Merlin asked, astounded. I could tell he was confused, but I had to know if someone had betrayed me.

"Call me princess." He shrugged.

"You looked like one when you were walking like that," he said.

"No I don't; I'm just a normal girl," I told him. "Remember that," I insisted. There was an awkward silence.

"We'd better get going," he said. Thank god that he doesn't stop talking. Awkward silences weren't going to be a problem with him. "Arthur's room is right upstairs, the second door on the right – just in case you get separated again." I glared at him.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" He shook his head.

"Probably not." I put my hands on my hips.

"Alright then stock boy," I said, smiling, "let's get going."

**Merlin – You know these Oreos are good. **

**JessieLightyear – Do you want another one? **

**Merlin – Of course! **

**JessieLightyear – then tell them **

**Merlin – Please make JessieLightyear's day by reviewing so she will give you more chapters and give me an Oreo **

**JessieLightyear – Thank you Merlin, here's an Oreo. **

**Merlin – Thanks. **

**JessieLightyear – You're eating it wrong!!! **

**Merlin – What are you talking about? **

**JessieLightyear – ugh, tune in next week to hear about Merlin's Oreo eating lesson **


	4. Chapter 4

**JessieLightyear – okay, so you pull the top cookie part off**

**Merlin – Is this really necessary?**

**JessieLightyear – YES, now pull it off**

**Merlin – alright, alright (Merlin separates top cookie of Oreo from Oreo) **

**JessieLightyear – okay, now take off the icing, and dip the cookie in the milk (Melrin dips Oreo and breaks the cookie) UGH, this is insane! A five year old can do this! (JessieLightyear runs from the room)**

**Merlin – um, alright, OH look she dropped something. (picks up card and reads) "JessieLightyear still doesn't own the Merlin series." **

Merlin and I walked into the prince's room. It was a mess! Dirty clothes that were covered in mud lay on the floor. Somehow there were even more clothes on his bed, I looked all around and just saw more mess. My brother lived in a pig sty.

"He's nasty." I said leaning down to pick up a shirt. "This is not acceptable at all." Merlin smiled taking the shirt from my hand.

"That's my job."

"Well you need some help. How could you ever get this done?" Merlin shrugged. I sighed.

"Please let me help? You've done so much for me it's the least I can do." Merlin smiled. "If you pick up the dirty clothes and I pick up the clothes that need mending well be done in no time."

"Alright, the clothes on the bed need to go in a basket for mending. The rest are dirty." Merlin told me. I nodded and picked up the wicker basket at the end of the bed. I started throwing the clothes into the basket.

"How does he go through so many clothes?" I asked.

"He's a prince. He has to wear his evening wear, change for the morning meal, then his training attire, sometimes he can wear the same thing he wore for breakfast down to lunch, but generally not because it's the temperate has risen since that morning. After that he changes again into his evening wear." I sighed.

"And here I was complaining about the lack of variety in my wardrobe." I said putting the last thing in the basket. Merlin threw a shirt at me. It landed on my head and I glared at him. My scary face would probably be scarier if I'd taken the shirt off my head, but Merlin looked at me and just laughed.

"What was that for?" I asked pulling the shirt off my head and throwing it into the basket.

"Sorry it goes in the mending." He said. I picked up something off the floor and threw it at him. It landed across his arm, and I laughed. He picked up the shirt and threw it in his basket.

"Alright, we're even now." He said and one of my eyebrows rose.

"I don't play to get even." I said as a sly smiled came across my face as I threw some clothes at Merlin. Most of them hit him and then fell to the floor, but a few stayed on him. He laughed and threw stuff at me. We both started grabbing clothes off the floor and throwing them at each other until finally I fell back onto the bed. We were both in a laughing fit now. I grabbed one of the soft red pillows and threw it at him. Merlin threw it back to me and said,

"I've got to make that bed you know."

"Sorry, guess starting a clothes war didn't help either." I said. I picked up the pillow I'd thrown and put them back in the basket.

"Its fine, everyone needs to smile every once in a while." He said.

"I smile!" I said, knowing that he smiled every other minute practically.

"You just seem like a serious type of person." He said picking up some clothes.

"I have to be." I said as I knelt down to help him. He looked up at me and I hadn't realized how close he was.

"Why?" He asked. I could feel his breath on my face. It made me shudder.

"I'll explain later." I said as I stood up. I turned away from Merlin and kept picking up clothes. This job was taking too long. I'd let my guard down, I needed to be in control always.

We finally finished getting the mending and the cleaning and went back to Gaius's chambers. When we got there I set the basket on the table. Gaius was looking at a something in great detail. I knew I shouldn't disturb him, so I just looked over the books he'd set out. Hopefully, Merlin would forget about what happened in Arthur's room. He came over and sat across the table from me well he worked. I kept my eyes on the book. I could almost feel him look over at me every so often trying to start a conversation. When I traveled with my mother, she made sure everyone knew she was a sorceress. I couldn't do that, so what do I do now? Would it be better to just get it over and done with? Would it be easier to explain to him the whole story, or would it just scare him? No, it's never easier to tell the truth and push people away than it is to lie and keep your friends. I learned that from my mother. Merlin finally finished with whatever he was working on and said,

"I'm gonna work upstairs."

"That's fine." Gaius said. I heard Merlin walk upstairs.

"Ashlynn, come take a look at this." Gaius said. I stood up and walk over to see the leaf. It was infected, but I couldn't tell how.

"What happened to it?" I asked Gaius.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Could you get me the third book from the right on the fifth shelf in the bookshelf upstairs?

"Of course." I said running upstairs and getting the book. It was thinner then the books I'd been studying from, but if Gaius said it could help, then I'd trust him. I brought him the book and flipped to a page in the back of the book. He went back and forth from the book and looking at the leaf.

"Tell me, do you think this leaf matches the description in this book?" he asked handing me the magnifying glass, book, and the leaf. The leaf looked fine until I put the magnify glass over it. There were dark red and in a clear pattern. I looked back at the book and then at the leaf. They were exactly the same. I told Gaius this and he nodded.

"Good, a second pair of eyes is always good."

"What happened to it?" I asked.

"It's a mild virus that shows up from time to time in this type of plant. It's easily curable once it's found and has virtually no effect on humans."

"Well that's good."

"Go down to the market and find Alexandria. She'll be at a stand with herbs and flowers. Ask her for a spring of holly pagent and winter's lily." I nodded and threw on my cloak. Then, I ran to the market. Alexandria's stand wasn't hard to find. She had flowers wrapped around the poles of her stand and powders of all types along the counter of her stall.

"Excuse me, Alexandria." I asked. She looked up and smiled at me. Every one of her features was as delicate as a butterfly's wing. Pale blond hair down to her shoulders framed her pale face. A small nose set in between a pair of rosy red checks surrounded by freckles just barely darker than her skin. The only part of her that was not clear and perfect was her stormy pale blue eyes.

"Yes, what do you need?"

"Gaius told me to ask you for a spring of holly pagent and winter's lily." I said. She let out a gentle laugh. It twinkled like a million little bells.

"He did always ask for difficult ingredients." She shook her head and twirled gathering the plants. She hummed under her breath. It was a familiar tune, but I couldn't place it. Alexandria turned back toward me and gently put two flowers in my hand. My skin brushed hers and I found it was very cold despite the fact that her stand was in the middle of the sun. She smiled at me and said,

"Tell Gaius if he continues to ask from spring plants in the fall I'll need some manor of time travel to help him." I nodded and turned away from the stand and slowly walked back to Gaius's workshop. Something about her made me want to go back and stay at her stand for a while longer. I opened the door and closed it quickly.

"Ah you're back." Gaius said.

"Of course, I only went to the market." I said hanging up my cloak on an empty rod. Gaius nodded, but there was a strange look on his face.

"Bring the plants here." He requested. I brought them over and handed them to him. Gaius put the plants in a green bowl. I looked in and saw the bowl was empty.

"What goes in next?" I asked.

"We have to soak the plants in water and wait for 24 hours." I nodded.

"I should get back to studying." Gaius laughed.

"You've work hard enough for one day. If you try to remember anymore you'll forget it all."

"Well, can I go look around?" Gaius nodded.

"Try to be back before dark." He said. Was it just me or did he sound concerned? Gaius turned back to his work and I sighed and headed back out. I knew I wanted to find out about Camelot. The castle or the market first? I'd seen part of the market so I turned left and headed up stairs to explore the castle. It all looked the same, smooth white polished stone that looked as if it had always been there. I tried to remember the pictures on the wall so I could find my way back when I was done.

I was so high up, that when I looked out the window I couldn't tell who the people were, just that there were people. I smiled standing in front of a window. The spring air blew in gently. After finding no one in the hall way, I threw my arms open letting the fresh air fill me up. There was a sound of footsteps echoed in the halls. I had no idea if I was supposed to be here or not, so I hitched up my skirt and ran in the opposite directions. There was a split at the hallway between a tight spiral staircase or another hallway. The staircase didn't offer many other options, but it was the less likely option and since I really wasn't in trouble right now I ran up the staircase.

It stopped 58 stairs later (I have to count steps when I climb them, force of habit.) there was only one door. After looking around, I tested the door knob. It was open in a way. The knob took some forcing, like no one had been here in a while. I walked in and found a room for a princess. The bed was covered with the softest sheets I'd ever seen. They were the whitest white. Five pillows with light violet flowers delicately stitched into the fabric were on the top of the bed. Light green curtains surrounded the bed and darker green curtains covered the windows. I looked at the jewelry on the top of the desk. It was all covered with a light coat of dust. I couldn't help but walk over to them. They would look prettier if someone would open a window in here and let them shine. I went to open the curtains, but stopped when I heard the doorknob turned. I found myself face to face with Arthur and everything fell into place. Someone wanted this place to be shut up and forgotten: that's why no one had been here in weeks, that's why the bed hadn't been slept in, that's why the knob had been stuck. I was suddenly very afraid for what this room was.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Gwen walks on stage, spotlight is brightly shinning) **

**Gwen – um, can you lower the light please? **

**Jessie – Got it **

**Gwen – JessieLightyear is placing me in the spotlight today, she wishes to apologize for the lack of updates and for the relatively short length of this chapter. **

**(music starts up) **

**Gwen – She also want me to sing, but I believe that would be a bad idea. Her last request is that I tell you that JessieLightyear does not own Merlin the TV Show, all characters are copyright material, but not her copyright material. **

"What are you doing up here?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms. He didn't seem upset, but that could change any moment. I bit my lip and twirled my hands in each other. "Well?"

"I was just trying to stay out of everyone's way," I said softly, and then explained how Gaius had sent me exploring and how I'd accidentally found my way up here. "What is this place?" I asked. Arthur turned toward the mirror and sighed.

"That's no matter to you, but you may not come back up to this room." I nodded, curtsying quickly.

"Milord." I left the room as fast as I could without falling over myself, thus leaving Arthur to his own memories. The fifty-eight-step climb seemed much quicker on the way down. I found myself at the end of the staircase and heard more footsteps approaching. Gwen turned the corner and looked surprised to see me.

"Ashylnn, what are you doing here?" I smiled at the familiar face.

"It's kind of a long story," I told her. "But can I ask you a question?" She nodded and I started walking with her down the hall. "What was that room? The one upstairs from where you found me."

"That was the Lady Morgana's room," Gwen answered me.

"She's the king's ward right?" I asked. Morgana's name had come up in some of my travels, but I'd never met the woman or knew anything particularly interesting about her.

"She was, but she was banished from Camelot. She assisted sorcerers." I gasped as was expected of me. "Nobody expected it from her, but there was no denying that she betrayed us."

"I'm sorry. She must have been a good friend," I said, trying to console Gwen.

"It gets easier each day, but no one talks about her anymore," Gwen told me.

"I should leave before I manage to run into another locked door. How do I get back down to the main floor?" I asked Gwen.

"Head down this hallway, take your second left, and then just follow the staircase down."

I thanked Gwen for the instructions and then made my way down to the market. It was still bustling with crowds; only now there were more children out. A cart full of jewelry stood in front of me, and I ran my fingers over the delicate necklaces. Turning around, I found I had to dart around a group of seven-year-olds running from a nine-year-old, only to find myself face-to-face with a new shop. This cart had cloaks of all different kinds: some with hoods and some without, some that went all the way down to your ankles and others that went to your waist. I looked over them with great admiration. The designer was truly gifted.

"See anything you're interested in?" the shopkeeper asked. He was a big man with hazel eyes and curly auburn hair. Smile lines were worn and there was a genuine smile on his face.

"No, just looking," I told him. My fingers brushed over a light green cloak. I felt my own smile form just because of his happy mode.

"Take your time. But may I suggest, with the warm weather approaching, a lighter cloak maybe advisable." I nodded, turning away from the stand.

"Another day," I told him sincerely. I left the stand for Gaius's workshop. When I got back to the workshop, Merlin was still upstairs and Gaius was standing over a pot.

"Did you have a good walk?" he asked, adding a little spice to the pot.

"I got lost once, but overall I had a nice walk," I told him, hanging up my cloak.

"Good. Now, taste this for me please." I walked over and took the spoonful offered.

"It's good. A little spicy though, but my mother always said I had bland tastes." Gaius laughed, taking a taste of his own.

"Well, I'll remember that for next time. Call Merlin down, will you?" I nodded, walking up to Merlin's room (there were only seven stairs here), and knocked on his door.

"Merlin, come on down for dinner." I heard something thud and giggled.

"Alright, I'll be right down," he said. I turned to go back to the delicious soup waiting. There was a knock on the door as I came downstairs.

"I'll get it," Gaius said. I heard him open the door. There was a conversation, and then I heard Gaius say, "Come in, and bring him here. Ashylnn, bring me some wet rags." I nodded, getting some rags from the sink, dumping them in a bucket, and bringing the bucket to Gaius.

"What happened to him, Anthony?"

"I'm not sure. I went Marcus's stand to remind him we were having dinner tonight for Victoria. We were talking and he… he just collapsed," Anthony said, still shocked. I sat across from Gaius, and saw the man who'd tried to sell me a cloak lying on the bench. I shook my head and started helping Gaius perform a basic check-up. Once we'd confirmed that his heart, lungs, and brain were functioning normally, Gaius was going to have to do more advanced observations. He looked at me, then at Anthony quickly. I nodded and stood up by Anthony.

"Why don't we leave Gaius to his work? I'm sure he'll find something," I said sweetly and sincerely. Anthony shook his head.

"I need to stay here; I need to stay with Marcus," he said with a yawn in between his phrases.

"Please, you won't do Marcus any good if you fall asleep on him. Your family is probably worried about you." Sighing, Anthony nodded and stood up from the chair in which he'd been sitting.

"I'll come back tomorrow afternoon to see if anything's changed," he said, then turned and left.

"Unfortunately, you haven't learned enough to be a big help with him. I suggest you and Merlin eat some soup and then get a good night's sleep. I'll have more information tomorrow morning." I nodded, walking over to the pot and getting Gaius a bowl of soup. He smiled when I brought it over to him. Merlin was sitting at the table, dipping a spoon into his bowl over and over again.

"Need some company?" I asked, sitting down across from him. He smiled and nodded. "So how was the prince today?"

"No more demanding than usual."

"I've got to tell you, I may have to learn the entire human body and all the illnesses that infect it, but I still have the better boss." He laughed.

"It's probably better this way; at least, at the castle, I have a less likely chance to kill anyone." He slurped up some soup (somewhat loudly) and said, "Tell me about yourself."

"Like what?" I asked, smiling.

"I don't know. Favorite color, favorite day, favorite animal," he said quickly.

"Um, green, the first day of spring, and a hawk," I told him.

"So spring? I was always more on an autumn person," he said.

"Oh, but autumn is so upsetting. Everything's dying and becoming dust. Spring is nice and pretty and everything's starting over."

"Yes, but spring means spring training starts again and my work load doubles."

"Ah, you're just lazy," I responded.

"No, no, no, I just appreciate the colder seasons. Some people see them as death, but I see them as the death of hard work." I shook my head.

"Alright, you can like cold, dark fall and winter. Give me the nice, warm spring. Although, the warm soup is a plus."

"Yeah, Gaius is a great cook," he said. There was a pause and Merlin started dipping his spoon in his soup again.

"So, what do you do besides carry Arthur's stuff?" I asked finally.

"Um, I… well, not much really." He shrugged, trying to answer. "When I'm not helping Arthur, I'm helping Gaius," he told me honestly.

"So, what are you going to do with all your free time now?"

"Figured I might take up a hobby, but I'm not quite sure what hobby."

"Hunting?" I suggested. He shook his head

"I'm a mess at it. Plus, I'm not a big fan of killing animals."

"Um, cooking?" I suggested half-heartedly. He laughed.

"I can't even tell a paprika from a pepper."

"Well, from what I hear, there is a difference. One of them would make your soup awfully spicy." I said, laughing.

"Don't blame me! I never had cooking 101 when I was a kid," he said. I laughed.

"Well neither did I; my mother always had her own… ways of cooking," I said, looking up briefly from the soup. He gave me a shy smile and I'm guessing he understood.

"Remind me never to get lost somewhere with you or we'll both starve." I laughed and there was another silence.

"Well, I'll be upstairs," he said, taking his bowl, putting in the sink, and walking upstairs. As he was walking upstairs he said, "Your room is upstairs – second door on the right." I nodded.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" he asked, smiling.

"For company and for letting me stay," I answered honestly. His smile got bigger.

"It's no problem." He stood on the stair for a while. Then finally said, "Well, good night." He climbed the last stairs and disappeared into his room, shutting the door.

"Good night," I said under my breath. Then I finished my soup and went to Gaius.

"How is he doing?" I asked.

"He's been vomiting. We'll have to keep a close watch for however much longer he continues to do so." I nodded.

"Are you going to stay up with him?"

"Yes; I have to make sure he doesn't choke on his vomit, and if he regains consciousness, I'd like to find out when he started feeling sick."

"That sounds like a plan," I said, not knowing what else to tell him. We sat by Marcus for a little while and then I yawned. It was a big yawn, too.

"You should get some sleep," he said. I laughed and headed upstairs to where Merlin had said I would be sleeping.

"Good night," he called up after me. I smiled.

"Good night," I said back down to him. The room was a spare bedroom. There was one bed, a desk, a small dresser, and a candle. I sat down at the desk and found one sheet of paper. Unfortunately, there was no quill or ink on the desk. I looked at the wax that was pooling under the candle. I put my finger over the melted wax and whispered, "_Em rof etirw."_ The wax turned black and covered my finger so I could put it on the paper. The simple journal entry had released a fair amount of magic.

Once the wax had cooled on the paper, I held it up to the candle, letting it burn. The flames took me back to a simpler time.

"_You know why we do this right?" My mother asked me one night as I'd been finishing my journal entry. _

"_So that we remember everything that happens in the day?" I asked uncertainly. She smiled, brushing my hair with her hand. _

"_No, Ashylnn, we write this down so we know why was important. You've had dozens of conversations, hundreds of footsteps, and thousands of thoughts over this day, and one day you will have hundreds of conversations, thousands of footsteps, and millions of thoughts. Because of this journal, you will always remember the important few," she said, folding up her own paper. _

"_What if I forget?" I asked. I had a hard enough time remembering where we were going. _

"_Well, that is why we burn them," she told me, tossing her paper into the fire. "When they burn, the smoke becomes a part of our world. Even when you can't see it, it is always there. Your memories are the same way. Even when you think that you don't have something important near you, you will always have your memories, and you will always have me." I smiled, hugging my mother. I curled up on her lap as our journal entries burned together._

I wiped a tear that had escaped my eyes.

"You're not here now," I told her, where ever she was, and then climbed into bed. I muttered, "Another new place to sleep." I fell asleep thinking of Merlin's big, dorky smile.

**JessieLightyear – Come on Gwen **

**Gwen – I refuse **

**Jessie- Please *puppy dog face* **

**Gwen – Alright Alright, **

**(music comes on) **

**Gwen (singing) – Review PLEASE! **

**Jessie – Wow, you held that last note a long time **

**Gwen – Well thank you **


	6. Chapter 6

**Gaius – What is all the commotion about?**

**JL – Gaius, I think these people might try to kill me cause I haven't updated in a while **

**Gaius – Well than you should put up an update of course**

**JL – Alright, here's your update. I've been tweaking the story just a little to go in more align with Series 3 but I have an outline now and the updates should be coming more quickly(especially since Christmas Break it coming up *happy dance*). **

**Gaius – and of course, JessieLightyear does not own the** **Merlin the TV Show, all characters are copyright material, but not her copyright material except for the characters you don't recognize from the show.**

**JL – Wow, I didn't have to cue you or anything**

**Gaius – I pick up on these things**

When I woke up the next morning, the house was quiet. I stretched getting my blood flowing and feeling a little more awake and rolled over in my bed. I knew I'd had a strange dream and it was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't remember it at all. Sighing, I sat up realizing I probably wouldn't remember and should stop trying. I walked down stairs and saw Gaius had fallen asleep while watching Marcus. He was even snoring. I laughed under my breath. He was such a cute old man. I went over and woke him up gently. He bolted up mumbling something as he woke up. I smiled at him,

"It's sunrise. You've been up all night." He looked around still trying to get his bearings."Why don't you get a couple hours of sleep? I'll stay here with Marcus and try to get his fever to break." Gaius nodded and walked upstairs mumbling something while he did. I sat down by the poor man. He still had a high fever and looked so pale. For now he was sleeping, and seemed to be staying that way. I picked up a book Gaius had been looking at. I started trying to read it, but it was very technical, not written for a beginner at all. I sighed setting the book down. It was opened to the halfway and then started slowly flipping the pages with magic. It was harder than you'd think. It would be easier to move all the pages at once, but to slowly turn one page at a time took control and patience. So I sat there, with my feet propped up on another chair and the book's pages slowly. It was very relaxing. Merlin came down running down the stairs a couple hours later.

"Oh, I'm late. I'm late." He said while pulling on his shoes. He bolted out the door before I could even say good morning. As soon as the door closed, I burst out laughing.

"Oh, he's going to get an earful from Arthur." I said out loud. I finally needed to move around a little before I fell asleep. I stood up to get a drink, and Marcus work up at the same time. I went back over to the makeshift bed. Marcus was trying to sit up, but I gently pushed him back on the bed, "You can't sit up yet." I told him taking his hand. "Do you need something?" I asked. He nodded.

"Water." He said in a raspy voice. I nodded squeezing his hand before standing up to pour him a glass of water. Marcus eagerly drank and got about half way through before he started coughing up the water. I pulled the cup away, letting him finish his drink, and then his head fell back on the pillow. He sighed and pulled the blanket over his chest. I could barely hear him mumble something, and couldn't make out more than "on my feet." Now seemed as good a time as any to wake up Gaius, I didn't know what to do if Marcus woke up for a long time. I walked upstairs to the hallway and realized I didn't know which room was Gaius's. There were four doors in the hallway. I opened the first door and found an absolute mess. This must be Merlin's room. I laughed; it was no surprise that he'd been running late. I was tempted to clean the room using magic (it certainly would use up energy) but quickly decided the act wouldn't be easy to explain to Gaius or Merlin and left it alone. The next door lead to my room and the third door was locked. I knocked on the forth door and didn't hear anyone inside, so I slowly opened the door up. Gaius's room was much cleaner than Merlin's and smaller. I walked over to the bed where the old man was sleeping.

"Gaius, Gaius." He sat up, stretched, and then looked at me.

"Has there been any progress?" He asked.

"He woke up a few minutes ago, took a drink of water, and fell back asleep." I told him. "Anthony hasn't stopped by, but I'd expect him to before lunch. He seems to care a great deal about Marcus." Gaius stood up and I followed him out into the hall.

"It's refreshing for brothers-in-laws to be good friends." I said, "There are some areas where brothers-in-law are mortal enemies." I said remembering some of the hardships that had come.

"Anthony and Marcus are like brothers themselves, those boys have been thick as thieves since they met as children." We walked downstairs where Marcus was still sleeping. Gaius sat down and picked up his book. He flipped some of the pages to get to certain one. Just as he was started to read there was a knock at the door. I went over and opened it. There was a woman holding a young girl in her arms.

"Please, you have to help her." She said. The woman was frantic. I nodded pulling the door open wide so she could walk in. Gaius looked up and walked to the woman taking the girl in his arms.

"Emily, what's happened?" He asked.

"I don't know. She was playing yesterday and came home saying she was tired. This morning she walked out of the bedroom and passed out. I brought her to you." Gaius laid the girl on a bench.

"Don't worry Emily; we'll take care of Lucie. I need to ask you a few questions."Gaius said. Emily nodded and sat down on the bench "Where was Lucie playing yesterday?" Gaius asked.

"Um… she was down by the fountain in the morning and in the afternoon she went into town. She mentioned something about getting a snack from a stall that was giving them out free. I think it was Alexandria's stall."

"Alright, who else was she was playing with." Gaius asked.

"I um, Anittan, Caindra, and Vivindra." Emily answered, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Don't worry; we'll take care of her." Gaius said. "You should get back to your other children." Emily nodded standing to walk out the door. Gaius sighed and turned to me. "Another case, we'll have to bring down one of the extra cots from the closet."

By that afternoon there were seven cases including Lucie and Marcus just like it. We were running out of space and water. I headed out to get water from the well and Gaius was staying with the sick people. As I was going, to the water pump, the bells began to ring. I turned with the others toward the bell towers. Word spread through the crowds like wild fire,

"What's going on?"

"Are the rumors true?"

"But after all this time is it possible?"

"Excuse me Miss." I said to a woman passing by, "But what is the rumor burning though Camelot?" I asked her.

"Haven't you heard? They say Prince Arthur returns and that he brings the Lady Morgana with him."

"The Lady Morgana?" I asked, "The King's ward?"

"The very same, they are to reach Camelot by nightfall." The woman said, "Isn't it wonderful?" She asked. I nodded numbly,

"Yes, wonderful." I muttered. I left quickly to get the bucket full of water and returning to Gaius. I threw open the door,

"Gaius have you heard the news?"

"One moment my dear." Gaius said and turned back to one of the patients. It looked as though Gaius was taking her temperature. I nodded and set the bucket of water down on the table than removed my cloak. I walked over and got a good look at Lucy. She was still pale and seemed so weak. Gaius sighed and rested a cloth on her forehead, "Now, what is the pressing news?"

"Word has reached Camelot that Prince Arthur returns at nightfall, it is said he comes with the Lady Morgana." I told him,  
"The Lady Morgana?" Gaius asked, "Are you certain?"

"That is what I have been told." I replied.

"Well, there can only be one thing to do." Gaius said,

"And what is that?" I asked,

"I must speak to Uther about this." I nodded,

"What shall I do?" I asked,

"Stay here, continue to study. The patients have all been given a sleeping vial that will keep them asleep until I return." I nodded,

"What shall I do in the even others come down with this sickness?" I asked.

"Set a cool wash cloth on their head to help with the fever and then give them a teaspoon of the blue liquid from the bottle counter." I nodded, "I should be back shortly." Gaius assured.

"I'll be right here." I said. Gaius left the room. I sighed looking down at the book, "You think there was a spell for absorbing knowledge." I muttered picking up the book, "But mother always said, 'you must strive to learn not strive to memorize.'" I recited. I sat down and put my legs up on the counter then flipped past the pages on skeletal anatomy and came to the muscles of the body. I stared down at the page and sighed. I started on the legs and foot when a knock came. I excitedly stood up and put the book down, _I really shouldn't be that excited about something being sick. _I thought as I opened the door. It was a man holding a grown woman in his arms,

"Is this where everyone comes?" He asked clearly concerned for her, I nodded.

"Bring her inside." I said opening the door. The man walked inside and waited for me to instruct him somewhere,

"Set her down on the bench." I said clearing off the papers, "I'll get her something to put her head on and a blanket." I ran upstairs taking the blanket and pillow of my bed and running down stairs. I quickly put them over her and the man moved out of my way so I could check her quickly,

"You can do something for her right?" He asked,

"I'll do everything I can." I told him honestly. The woman began to fling her head around. He looked up at me clearly still scared, "Is this your wife?" I asked trying to keep his mind active so that he wouldn't begin to hypothesize the worst. The man shook his head,

"I'm courting her, well I was hoping to ask her to marry me today." He said. I smiled,

"I wish you both the best." I said, "Has she realized it yet?"

"I don't think so." The man said, "I was hoping it could be a surprise." I smiled,

"I'll make sure she gets better." I promised. I stood up to go get the bottle that Gaius had told me to give new victims. I turned to the counter and saw the bottle had been tipped over and the liquid had spilled out. I opened my mouth to curse but shut it quickly. I turned back to the man,

"I must ask you to leave now." I said. The man opened his mouth to protest, "Please" I said cutting him off, "I promise to help her, but I'll need you to leave." The man nodded and walked out. As soon as the door closed I looked at the spilled potion. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair and looked down at the girl. She was still tossing her head around. What she needed right now was something to help her calm down. I bit my lip and looked at the door. It was still shut and did look as though that would change anytime soon. I walked over to her and rested my hands on either side of her temple, her head still thrashing about. I tried several times to say the spell, but every time she broke my concentration,

"Raed ym tser." I finally said finishing the spell, the girl tossed a few times more than settled down. I sighed. For now, the problem was solved. Of course, it could come back and explode in my face at any moment, but for now the problem was solved. I picked up the bottle and set it with the other empty bottles. I cleaned up the I looked at the book studying for a while. Gaius came in a little while later both looking quite troubled.

"What's wrong Gaius?" I asked.

"The rumors are true, the Lady Morgana returns tonight." Gaius said in a much less joyous tone than I would have expected. It made me wonder, what was so wrong with the Lady Morgana?

**Gaius – if you would to be so kind as you review, I'm certain the chapters will come out faster. **


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